"It's still a work in progress right now but it will be topical and live and hopefully it will deal with various issues," she told Jay Leno during an appearance on The Tonight Show.

"I've been using this as an example - when Osama Bin Laden was killed, we might have done a show about Navy Seals. Who are they? What kind of training is required? Why is the failure rate so high when you're training to be a Seal?"

Couric went on to say that other issues she'd like to look at include bullying, the impact of technology on children, and "fun stuff" such as celebrity interviews with individuals like Lady GaGa.

"It will be a little bit of what Oprah did - obviously no-one can fill her shoes, but some of the things she did on her show - and some of the things we used to do on the Today show.

"I'm really looking forward to it because creatively it's such an exciting challenge for me."

Couric will also contribute to various programmes and platforms for ABC News under the terms of the deal with Disney/ABC Television Group.

The announcements came following Couric's departure from CBS Evening News last month after five years. The reporter, who was the first female solo anchor of a network evening news broadcast, was replaced by Scott Pelley, who anchored his first programme last night.